Makoto Tamagiri
Makoto Tamagiri is a Jonin-level shinobi from Amegakure. He and his team left the village and moved to Kirigakure to escape Pain, and upon the death of Pain, Makoto decided to stay in Kirigakure permanently. He became the advisor and close friend to the Fifth, then later Sixth Mizukage's. Appearance: Makoto is of average height, and above average weight for a shinobi (which his squad mates frequently taunt him for, while he dismisses it half-jokingly as “water-weight”) He has short-trimmed dark-blonde hair, very pale skin and wears a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, which he has a habit of adjusting before using a strong technique. He has a fairly round, jolly face and his most commonly seen facial expression is a knowing smirk. As a jonin, He wore a variation on the standard Kirigakure outfit, consisting of a dark blue pinstriped jumpsuit under a grey flak jacket, specially modified on his request to have shoulder armor. After joining the Neo 7 Swordsmen, he adopted their uniform with a black, pocketless flak jacket instead of a grey one, with a Kiri symbol on the left side of the jacket. He still wears the Team Kumiko logo on the back of his right shoulder however. Unlike most shinobi, he hates wearing sandals, preferring simple closed-toed black shoes instead. He keeps his Ono, Yoroiwari, in a scabbard on his back which he places into it handle-first so the head protrudes out the top. The scabbard itself doubles as a water vessel similar to Gaara’s sand gourd, holding enough Chakra-infused water for Makoto to create at least one five-foot long tendril, even when no other water is available Personality: Makoto is a very patient and intelligent man, and as a result was considered the tactician of his squad, and is particularly good at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of his enemies in the heat of battle. He has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and an easygoing, jolly attitude around his friends, but greatly distrusts strangers, making it very difficult for him to form new bonds. In combat, he takes a more serious tone, but has a habit of cracking jokes to his opponent when he is nervous. Makoto is not against killing, but he avoids it if at all possible because a living shinobi can be interrogated to provide military information, a task which his jutsu are excellent at carrying out. During interrogations he takes on a sardonic, faux-friendly tone, often chuckling to himself and reminding his captive of the hopelessness of their situation to wring information out of them. On the other hand, he has a passion for teaching as well, his patience, discipline and good-humored nature proving invaluable in working with his Genin students. Background: Early Life: Makoto’s Parents both had Kekkei Genkai, with his mother being a master of Ice Release and his father being able to use Steam Release. As a result, they were a powerful duo, capable of devastating combination ninjutsu. Much of Makoto’s childhood was spent training, with his parents supporting him in figuring out where his skills lied. As it turned out, Makoto did not inherit either of his parents’ Kekkei Genkai, which he theorizes was due to the contradiction between his parents’ abilities. However, Makoto did not allow this to discourage him, as with his parents' help, he discovered that he was excellent at manipulating liquid water, especially in close proximity to his own body and those of others, even being able to remove the sweat from other people’s bodies. Living in Amegakure, the rain provided him an ample source of water with which to practice, and his parents taught him to use the rain to his advantage. Makoto was a quiet and reserved, somewhat antisocial child, partially due to his parents keeping him at home training for most of his early years. However, this training meant that he could use water release techniques with relative proficiency before even reaching genin level. Genin Career: Makoto graduated from the academy in the top 5% of his class, especially on the written exam, which he received a near-perfect score. He was then paired up with Ryu Yamaguchi and Reina Suchiko as genin, where the three formed a strong bond, and Makoto and Ryu became best friends and casual rivals, while Reina acted as a mediator when the two would butt heads on missions. Shortly after graduating, Makoto invented his first original jutsu on a mission to retrieve a cat from a tree, which has been his signature technique ever since, the Aqua Tendril Jutsu. At first he could only create and control one tendril while actively fighting, but over time he mastered the technique further. As a genin, Makoto idolized the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and as such, tried using a variety of different weapons, before eventually finding his niche wielding an Ono, which he had to teach himself how to use effectively using old handbooks, because there were no masters of axe wielding in Amegakure. After he proved his mastery to his sensei, Kumiko Maeda, she invented his water-holding scabbard, which impressed Makoto, and led him to look up to his sensei somewhat more than his squad-mates. Chunin Exams: At the chunin exams, Makoto and the rest of Team Kumiko became chunin on their first try, because Kumiko had taken a lot of time by then to train them. Makoto's opponent in the final round was Jubei Tanaka of Konohagakure. Tanaka killed his opponent in the Preliminary round after the match was declared in his favor, and in defeating him, Makoto realized that there are more ways to win than slaying one's opponent, so he developed his distaste for killing. Chunin Career: While they were no longer required to remain a team, Ryu, Reina and Makoto remained best friends, often refusing to go on missions without each other, to which Amegakure’s leadership had no choice but to give in. Makoto remained a chunin for awhile, becoming a frequently-chosen squad leader. He became well-known for his skill in capturing his enemies alive to gain information from them. As such, he became Amegakure’s leading capture specialist, and occasionally an interrogator as well. Leaving Amegakure: In the late years of his Chunin status, he and his teammates began to realize that their village’s leadership was not exactly wholesome, and not wanting to be a part of Pain’s plans, they left the village for Kirigakure, vowing to return when the situation improved. Welcome in Kirigakure: When they explained their situation upon arrival in Kirigakure, Team Kumiko was called to speak with the fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, who allowed them to become Chunin of Kirigakure. the Mizukage took a particular liking to Makoto’s skills, and seeing potential in him, began personally training him, which helped him to discover his earth-style capabilities. Team Kumiko was not exactly welcomed with open arms by their new home. Most distrusted them at first because of their village of origin, but eventually one by one, they proved themselves as valuable assets, each finding their niche. Makoto in particular began to doubt his promise to return to Amegakure, which has become a point of conflict between he and Ryu. Jonin Career: At the age of 22, Makoto reached the rank of Jonin, and was deemed strong enough to act as the Mizukage’s official advisor. Makoto accepted the job on the condition that he would still be allowed to act as a genin-sensei, wanting to walk in the footsteps of his own teacher, Kumiko. Relation to the Fifth Mizukage After Ao's death, the Mizukage's group was left with an opening alongside Chojuro which had yet to be filled. Despite Chojuro's initial objetion, Mei hired Makoto as a formal member of her personal guard. This was a main point of contention at first because of Makoto's questionable allegiance having just come from Amegakure, a village known for akatsuki affiliation. Still, the Mizukage held firm on her decision, and eventually Maoto proved himself after a group of Orochimaru's former henchmen attempted to assassinate her, and Makoto risked his life, bringing his chakra to near absolute-zero with his Aqua Susano'o Jutsu to protect her. Meanwhile, his colleague Chojuro disliked him at first for his village of origin, but they became good friends and frequent sparring partners as time went on. This came as no surprise, given Makoto's admiration for the 7 ninja swordsmen, so he considers it an honor to work alongside him. Some Kiri shinobi make fun of the Mizukage's choice of guards, quick to point out that both of her guards are Water Release users with unconventional weapons who wear similar styles of glasses. When this is pointed out to Makoto, he merely chuckles and replies "What can I say? The ladies love a guy with glasses".This backfired for Makoto however, as rumors have spread that he and Mei are romantically involved, though he blushes and swears that is not the case. Death of Pain and Rise of the Amenokage Upon the demise of Amegakure's "god", Team Kumiko was faced with the difficult choice to return to their village of origin or stay in their new home. Makoto made the difficult decision to stay in Kirigakure because of his responsibilities to the Mizukage. He is still in constant contact with his teammates back home, and as the Mizukage's advisor, he has helped strengthen relations between Kiri and Ame. As such, the Mizukage has become one of the greatest proponents of the First Amenokage becoming an officially recognized Kage. Later on, When Chojuro became the Sixth Mizukage, he accepted Makoto among his own personal guard, and the two continue to be friends as well. Makoto has been accepted fully into his new home, and while he still wears the Team Kumoko logo on his uniform to remind him of his heritage, he would die for his new friends and his team of Genin pupils. Formation of the Neo Ninja Swordsmen A few years into his reign,the Sixth Mizukage gave Makoto the chance to live out his dream. Realizing that he was the last surviving member of the original seven, and that all their blades but his and Samehada were lost, the sixth began forming the Neo Ninja Swordsmen to continue the lineage, not to include himself. Because Makoto was his trusted advisor and a bukijutsu expert, he earned a spot among them. Because of this, Maoto now leads a busy life, assisting Chojuro with his duties as well as conducting missions with the rest of the Neo Swordsmen. Abilities: Chakra Control: Makoto discovered at an early age that he was skilled in channeling his chakra through liquids via direct contact with his body, making his Aqua Tendril, Aqua Armor and Aqua Susano’o jutsu possible. He can also control both normal water and body fluids such as sweat and saliva, from relatively far distances away by moving his own chakra through the ground and into the target’s body, allowing him to attack from unexpected angles. It is this movement of chakra through the ground that powers his Earth Release techniques. In addition, his ability to move his chakra into the bodies of others allows him limited tracking ability, as if an enemy escapes his sight, he can "feel" for them by spreading out his chakra through the environment. Water Release: Using his Aqua Tendril Jutsu, Makoto can create up to four tentacles of water extending approximately five feet away from his body out of any water close at hand. It is his main technique, and the cornerstone for many of his jutsu. He often uses his tendrils to wield his Ono while keeping his hands free to defend, or conversely uses them to defend while he wields the Ono in his hands. His tendrils allow him to attack from many different angles at once, and are excellent at capturing enemies alive, binding their hands so they cannot form hand signs, and covering their noses and mouths to drown them into unconsciousness. Makoto can also use nearby water, or even retract his tendrils and use that water, to create armor around himself using his Aqua Armor Jutsu. Makoto can control the water that forms the armor to grab the assailant's limbs upon striking it, allowing Makoto to counterattack. Most of Makoto’s other water release techniques involve producing large quantities of water at low chakra costs, allowing him more material to control and attack with. He has a particular liking for Water Release: Water Trumpet, which he uses to soak his opponents and himself, providing for more attack options. Earth Release: While under the tutelage of the Fifth Mizukage, Makoto learned that he could use Earth Release techniques as well as his usual Water, although at a much lower skill level. He mainly uses this to transmit his chakra through the ground long distances, but he can also travel through the ground and even infuse earth into his tendrils and armor to make them tougher at the cost of maneuverability. Ultimate Ninjutsu: Makoto’s last resort attacks are both of his own creation, the Aqua Greataxe Jutsu and Aqua Susano’o jutsu. The former can be used with just the amount of water that can be held in Makoto’s scabbard, and involves him using an aqua tendril to bind his opponent to the ground, then forming the remaining water into a massive axe and slamming it into the target. Makoto does not use this technique very often because of its lethality, but if an enemy poses a threat to his own life or that of his friends, he will not hesitate to use it. His Aqua Susano’o Jutsu is different, in that it needs extremely large amounts of nearby water to work, either the products of many minutes of intense rain, which Makoto can create with his Hidden Rain Jutsu, or by being near an ocean. It allows him to create a massive construct out of water around himself and while frozen and unable to move inside, use the construct to fight, which has the appearance of a heavily armored shogun. He has only used this technique once, to protect the Fifth Mizukage from an assassination attempt by a group of a dozen Otogakure shinobi. Taijutsu: While it is not his specialty, Makoto can hold his own in hand-to-hand combat. He prefers to use his tendrils to enhance his taijutsu skills, attacking from multiple directions and giving his opponent no way to block it all. He fights directly and mercilessly, grappling his enemies with his tendrils and throwing them around, while delivering punishing, decisive blows. Bukijutsu: Makoto is very skilled at fighting with his axe, being the first user of Onojutsu in Amegakure. He at first aspired to be like the 7 Ninja Swordsmen, but eventually grew to like his unique weapon on its own merits. He often wields it in one of his tendrils while fighting with his hands, but in the absence of tendrils he is still a fearsome opponent, sometimes compared to Kisame Hoshigaki, whose fighting style he used as a reference to develop his own technique. Genjutsu: While not able to place enemies directly under genjutsu, Makoto is particularly good at breaking out of most genjutsu due to his ability to move his chakra outside of his body. Therefore, it requires a sharingan or a true master to truly break him. Weaknesses: Makoto is a creature of habit, so very observant enemies can read his tells, such as adjusting his glasses before using a major jutsu, or changing attitudes when nervous) to predict his movements. In particular, he hates fighting enemies with visual ninjutsu, because his movements tend to be methodical, and therefore somewhat predictable. In addition, Makoto gets very flustered when his plans do not work as expected, and sometimes has trouble forming new ones after they go wrong. Being a user of Water Release almost exclusively, he has a natural weakness to Lightning Release techniques because water conducts electricity back to his body, which he often tries to work around by covering the enemy in water so if they were to use lightning, they would be shocked as well. In addition, his chakra control "Tracking" has its own weaknesses, the great strain on his body from using it being the most important, so he sometimes has trouble with sneaky opponents who use hit-and-run tactics, much preferring a face-to-face fight. Trivia: -”Makoto” translates to “Sincerity” or “Truth” -Makoto’s favorite word is “Patience” According to the Naruto Databook: -Makoto’s hobby is playing games such as chess and go -He wishes to fight Kisame Hoshigaki -His favorite food is shrimp stir-fry, and his least favorite is anything with onions. Quotes: “Why don’t I want to be Mizukage? Behind every great leader is someone like me. Someone who makes sure their decisions are sound, and takes care of the paperwork afterwards.” “Look, I’ll make this easy for you. You’ve got two options. You can tell me what I need to know, or I can drown you until you pass out, drag you back to my village, and we can make you talk there, and trust me. there are some guys who like torture a lot more than I do. Your choice, pal. “ (To a captured enemy) “Your damned macho attitude is going to get us killed!” (Butting heads with Ryu) "Me? A Ninja Swordsman? It would be my honor, Lord Mizukage. I won't let you down!" (Accepting the position in the Neo Swordsmen) Category:Kirigakure Category:Water Release User Category:Bukijutsu Category:Earth Release User Category:Former Amegakure Resident Category:Jonin Category:Team Kumiko Category:Amegakure